How 19 L.A. Designers Are Helping LACMA Celebrate its 50th birthday

A Newbark pochette featuring a nineteenth-century French print of a monkey's hand; a Co poplin blouse modeled on a Dutch Golden Age portrait; jeweler Jennifer Meyer's take on a 1970s Ed Ruscha lithograph spun into a gold necklace. These are just three examples of the limited-edition products in Wear LACMA: 50th Anniversary Edition, a capsule collection created by 19 local designers to celebrate the semicentennial of the Los Angeles County Museum of Art, the largest art museum on the West Coast. Housing more than 120,000 objects—ranging from pre-Columbian masterpieces to cutting-edge contemporary works, including Chris Burden's Urban Light, an assemblage of 202 vintage streetlamps, and Michael Heizer's Levitated Mass, a 340-ton boulder suspended over a concrete trench through which visitors walk—LACMA is the force behind the city's burgeoning status as a global art capital.

It goes without saying this isn't your standard gift-shop swag. And for Wear LACMA founder Katherine Ross, a member of the museum's board and a former fashion publicist who left LVMH nine years ago to head west when her husband, Michael Govan, was tapped as LACMA's director, that's exactly the point. "Designers have a different way of looking at things that makes us want to look closer at them," Ross says of the project, which began in 2012 with a rotating cast of two or three seasonal collaborators. This fall's all-star roundup is a mix of old and new friends of the museum, including Clare Vivier, The Elder Statesman, and Rodarte and is available at the museum's Wilshire Boulevard campus. Ross's friend Stephanie Horton, Chief Marketing Officer of Farfetch—the shopping portal which makes it supereasy to order online from more than 300 destination stores on six continents—offered her an opportunity to bring the merchandise to women who might not happen to be in Los Angeles by creating a dedicated virtual Wear LACMA boutique launching today from which 100 percent of proceeds go to the museum. "I think this partnership is really important because LA has so many great designers," Horton says. "It's a really great opportunity for us to be able to showcase them on a global platform." Ross hopes the collection will help prospective museum goers better appreciate the interdisciplinary nature of the L.A. art scene, which is part of what makes it so special. "I have always said it's more than just the sunshine here," Ross says. "Los Angeles affords the time and space to reflect and be creative."

See Horton's favorite pieces from the Wear LACMA collection below.

This article originally appears in the November 2015 issue of ELLE.

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Courtesy of Farfetch.com

"I'm terrified of fortune teller's, which was the inspiration for the pieces, but I love these hats. I think he picked up the vibe and feeling 1730's perfectly which was the year of the painting, but made pieces that fit in today with a nice edgy style."

Nick Fouquet 'The Star' Hat, $1,475; farfetch.com

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"The clutch inspired by Monkey's Hand is a typical Newbark, piece—easy, timeless and chic."

Newbark Hand Print Pouch, $450; farfetch.com

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"The dress is the perfect balance of a classic look with a modern twist. It is an exquisite piece for an evening when you need to kill it."

Monique Lhuillier Dress, $6,800; farfetch.com

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"This jacket is everything. I'm obsessed with the 60's and this chronicles every important moment in one chic jacket. A great stand out piece that you can dress up or down."

LACMA Libertine Printed Blazer, $1,750; farfetch.com

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"The translation from the photograph to the caftan is seamless and makes for a powerful piece. Perfect to add a strong statement to any look."

Juan Carlos Obando Longline Jacket, $1,685; farfetch.com

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"This Dosa dress is truly like wearing a piece of art."

Dosa Fraulein Dress, $1,234; farfetch.com

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"Because I would love anything inspired by that vest, plus they are bags that would add a fun twist to any outfit."